


The problem with gravity

by CractasticDispatches



Series: TVXQ Drabbles [4]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: M/M, also a bit of Yoochun character study?, also overprotective Yunho is overprotective, bit of h/c for when Jae's knee got injured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 04:50:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4126032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CractasticDispatches/pseuds/CractasticDispatches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Jaejoong groans and rolls over to stares at the ceiling. Someday, he swears, he will master this thing called balance, he really will. He just hopes it’s soon.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The problem with gravity

The choreo for Rising Sun is hard. Really hard. But it’s so much fun. It’s hard and fast, tight rhythm and sharp movements; all snapping arms and quick feet. Jaejoong loves it.

He’s also not very good at it. Not because he can’t do it or can’t remember it _(though sometimes that’s a problem too_ ), but because he’s just a little uncoordinated still and putting it all together is difficult, especially at speed. He’s pretty sure a few sections – the ones with really fast, really complicated footwork – will always trip him up. But he’s in the back for those so that’s okay.

_(And he’s pretty sure that that’s on purpose. That he’s in back for those bits because Yunho and their choreographers know he’s not the most consistent dancer. That they put him there in case he messes up. But that’s alright. It’s fair. He knows dancing isn’t his best skill. Knows he’s too distractible and a little too naturally clumsy to be reliable. And besides, from the back he can see the others. Which, okay, maybe isn’t actually the best since he is so distractible, but it’s so cool to see them all moving together, their bodies all so different but still somehow in sync with each other.)_

They all have solo parts of course. They always do. Jaejoong’s are usually a little less complicated than some of the others, partly because that’s easiest for him, but also because he tends to adapt them so much on stage anyways. He doesn’t mean to, he really doesn’t, but his solo dance bits always correspond to his best singing parts and when he’s really belting it out, really putting his everything into the music — and he always does, every time, whether they’re on stage or not — it always ends up using his whole body. So they’ve learned to accommodate him a little. Not always, and not entirely, but enough. Enough that he can do his parts and enough that when he really gets too physically into the singing it doesn’t necessarily throw off the whole dance. For the others, it varies. They all tend to be more consistent than he is, but Changmin still forgets steps sometimes or turns the wrong way and Junsu’s confidence waxes and wanes in strange ways; sometimes he dances like he thinks he was made to do it, but other times he’s more careful, less sure. Asks for smaller or simpler solos.

Yunho’s are always amazing. And Jaejoong might be biased but he’s not wrong. Yunho is definitely their best dancer. He moves as easily as he breathes. Easier, sometimes. And unlike Jaejoong and the others, who have to try to keep straight faces or to remember the steps and keep in time and try to have attitude all at once, for Yunho it’s always just there. It doesn’t matter how complicated the footwork is or how ridiculous the movements, he always pulls them off perfectly and he always looks like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Like he doesn’t need to think about it. When he wants to, Yunho can fill up an entire room, an entire stage, an entire screen shot, with the sheer physical _umph_ of his dancing.

It’s incredible. It’s completely unfair. It’s fucking sexy as hell and Jaejoong has the hardest time not watching and forgetting what he’s doing and falling flat on his face. Or charging him from across the room or the stage or wherever they are and shoving him up against a wall and ripping all their clothes off. Whichever comes first.

It makes dance practices simultaneously the most fun and the most torturous thing ever.

So to distract himself, when Yunho starts working on his solo choreo, Jaejoong gets Yoochun to practice off to the side with him.

Yoochun is a strange dancer. His movements, both at practice and sometimes on stage too, are so relaxed, so loose and lax, that it almost looks like laziness. But he almost never messes up. And he’s not lazy, at least, no more than the reast of them are. Jaejoong knows because he lives with the Yoochun and he’s seen him work, hard. Yunho calls Jaejoong a workaholic sometimes, and he knows he can be, but Yoochun is the one most often up as late or later than Jaejoong. And Yoochun can and does sleep anywhere and everywhere pretty much any chance he gets, falling asleep during take off, napping constantly in the vans, always the last one to roll out of bed in the mornings, but when he’s really on something he’ll go and go and go, sometimes for days on end _(which worries Jaejoong; they all pull all nighters sometimes when they have to, and they’re all used to being overtired and overworked a lot of the time, but even so, going and going and going the way Yoochun does sometimes can’t be healthy. It just can’t)_. So he’s not lazy. He’s not. But he’ll never be the stand-out dancer either.

Honestly, Jaejoong thinks he’s just too laid back to be bothered competing with Yunho the way Junsu sometimes tries to do. Yoochun might actually be the least competitive person Jaejoong’s ever met. And he thinks that’s good. Maybe really good. Because sometimes Changmin takes things so seriously and Junsu is so competitive sometimes and Yunho’s not really inclined to that sort of thing but he gets caught up in it sometimes and Jaejoong — Jaejoong tries really hard not to be, but he knows sometimes he is. It’s different from the others. Quieter. More subtle, he thinks. And it’s less about needing to be better than the others; he doesn’t need to win. But he hates to feel like he’s made a fool of himself and sometimes he thinks that worse. So Yoochun, who doesn’t care at all, and does the stupidest things just to laugh at himself and who loses games on purpose — as dramatically and comically as possible — is like the buffer they all need sometimes. The constant reminder not to get too serious. To have fun with the games they play, and not get so hung up on who’s beating who.

His dancing is always consistent though. Nearly perfect. So when Jaejoong wants a partner to practice with, Yoochun’s spot-on moves and laid back attitude make him the perfect choice. It also makes their practicing twice as likely to devolve into something much less like actual work and a lot more like goofing around, but that’s fine. It’s good to just play around sometimes, especially with as much of a slave driver as Yunho can be in the dance studio.

“Show me again,” Jaejoong says. “Slower. I still keep tripping over that one bit.”

Yoochun frowns in concentration, does the movements of the choreo again. Fumbles trying to go slow.

“Hang on,” he says. He does it again, faster, then again more slowly, and then a few more times, breaking it up a bit. Jaejoong waits. He’s seen this before. For Yoochun, much like Yunho, each step, each movement, becomes part of a whole, inextricably linked to the next, and keyed to the music it’s meant to go with. It makes them better dancers, Jaejoong thinks, but it also makes it harder for them sometimes to slow it down and teach it to the others. Jaejoong has learned to wait while they reset themselves to something slower. To give them time to figure out how to explain what to them is practically intuitive. Yoochun is much more patient about it than Yunho.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaejoong sees Yunho move. Do something sinuous and rolling with his entire body. It’s far too appealing to be legal, he’s sure. He forces his attention back to Yoochun. Tries not to think about how long it’s been since Yunho touched him last. _(Eight days, seven and a half hours, approximately, not that he’s counting: not that long, really. Still far too long. And when, precisely, he became this needy he isn’t really sure but it’s definitely been too long and he hates waiting and if this keeps up much longer he is going to find a way to get Yunho alone somehow and he doesn’t care how much sleep he has to sacrifice to do it.)_

“Okay, here,” Yoochun says. Jaejoong blinks. Actually focusses this time. “Watch, it’s like this: step, step, jump up, and then step-step for the turn. See?”

“Uh, not really,” Jaejoong admits. “Do it again?”

Yoochun does, and then twice more.

“Is that the actual rhythm?” Jaejoong asks, frowning. “You keep doing those last two steps closer together but I can’t tell if it’s on purpose or just because you’re landing.”

“On purpose,” Yoochun explains. “They have to be because the next bit is the turn, remember?”

“Right, okay, that makes sense I think.”

“Good. Now you try. Follow me.”

Jaejoong follows. They go slowly at first, then, as he starts to get the hang of it, Yoochun starts to increase the speed. He’s a good teacher, Jaejoong thinks, though probably Yoochun would never think of himself that way. But he’s patient and unhurried and doesn’t mind when he has to explain a thing several times. Yunho tries, but he’s a bit of a perfectionist in the studio and dancing is so easy for him, Jaejoong thinks he just doesn’t understand when the others have more trouble. Yoochun is a good intermediary.

They pick up the pace, almost at tempo now. Jaejoong can almost hear the music in his head as he moves and he wonders if this is maybe a little bit how Yunho usually feels, everything just seeming to come together. Except, of course, with Yunho it actually works. When it’s Yunho, everything does just come together. Because he’s actually good at this and not a klutz the way Jaejoong is. Never suddenly loses track of his feet while his body tries to keep going. Never winds up flat on his face with no idea how he ended up there.

Jaejoong groans. Rolls over and stares at the ceiling. Someday, he swears, he will master this thing called balance, he really will. He just hopes it’s soon.

“Ah, hyung, are you okay?” Yoochun doesn’t call him hyung very often, mostly only when they’re joking around or for the cameras. Or when he’s worried. Jaejoong’s never quite been sure why, but he doesn’t mind. He sits up, slowly, just in case.

“I think so,” he says. “I mean, it hurts, but I think it’s just bruises.”

Yoochun offers him a hand and Jaejoong takes it, levering himself to his feet.

“Ah, well, you were doing well—Hyung!” Yoochun breaks off with a yelp as Jaejoong’s right knee suddenly buckles beneath him and he drops to the floor again. Yoochun kneels down beside him, face full of concern. “Hyung, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Activity in the rest of the room stops as everyone turns to look, and then wander over to see what’s going on.

“Move.” Yunho has his leader voice out and a path clears between him and Jaejoong and Yoochun almost instantly, people shuffling out of the way and backing up to make room. Yunho crouches down, gaze flicking from Jaejoong to Yoochun and back again. “What happened?”

“I fell,” Jaejoong says, stretching his leg out carefully. It won’t extend all the way. “I thought I was okay, but I must have hit my knee.”

Above them, noise starts back up again, managers asking if they should take him to the hospital, if they should call an ambulance. Muttering complaints Jaejoong can’t quite make out. Junsu, pushing forward with Changmin to the front of the small crowd, starts talking a mile a minute, worrying about broken bones and twisted joints.

“Quiet!” Yunho growls. “No one do anything yet. And back off. You all crowding in won’t help anyone and I don’t want to be stepped on.”

Silence descends. Everyone takes a few steps back. Yunho turns his attention back to Jaejoong.

“Do you think it’s broken?” he asks. “How much pain is there?”

“It’s not broken,” one of the managers scoffs. “He’d be screaming more if it were. Or passed out.”

A muscle tightens in Yunho’s jaw; anger, though Jaejoong doesn’t understand why.

“I’ve been dancing for a long time,” Yunho says, and Jaejoong can hear it, the tight control he’s got on his voice. The anger he’s keeping carefully tucked away beneath the surface. “If it’s not a bad break sometimes people don’t know. I’ve seen people break bones before and if wasn’t bad enough yet they could still dance on it.”

“I don’t think I broke anything,” Jaejoong says quickly before an argument can break out. “It doesn’t – it doesn’t hurt, exactly. But I can’t unbend my leg all the way. And something feels wrong.”

“No offense, hyung, but that sounds broken to me,” says Changmin from the sidelines.

Yunho shoots him a warning look, then raises an eyebrow at Jaejoong. “No pain?”

Jaejoong shakes his head. “Some pain, but not — I don’t know. It’s weird. But I don’t think it’s what a broken bone would feel like.”

Yunho purses his lips. “It could still be broken,” he says, rocking forward onto his knees and starting to untie Jaejoong’s shoe.

“What are you doing?” Yoochun asks curiously as Jaejoong bites back a hiss and grabs his leg to stabilize it. It still doesn’t hurt, exactly, but the movement caused by Yunho taking off his shoe feels just as wrong as when he tries to straighten his leg all the way.

“I’ve seen broken bones before,” says Yunho frowning, putting the shoe aside and gently rolling Jaejoong’s pant leg up to just above his knee _(and Jaejoong is really glad he wore loose sweats today because this would be really hard and uncomfortable in jeans)_. “I think I remember — I mean, I’m no expert but I remember what to look for to start with. I think.”

He places a finger at the base of Jaejoong’s heel and taps.

“Can you feel that?” he asks. Jaejoong nods. “And this?” Yunho taps a little higher. Jaejoong nods again. Yunho taps a few more times, higher each time, then pokes each toe. Jaejoong can feel it all.

“So what does that mean?” Jaejoong asks, as Yunho runs a hand up his leg, feeling the bone of his shin.

“No nerve damage. You said you can’t unbend your knee all the way, but can you move everything else?”

Jaejoong nods, wiggles his toes and rolls his ankle to prove it.

“That’s probably a good sign,” says Yunho. “Did you fall because it hurt or because you couldn’t stand on it?”

“I’m not sure,” Jaejoong admits. “It happened too fast. And I didn’t expect it.” He closes his eyes, trying to remember, then shakes his head. “I don’t know. It felt wrong, but — I don’t think I chose to fall. Maybe both?”

Yunho frowns, rocking back on his heels and scratching the back of his head.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” he says at last, “but I don’t really know enough to say for sure. And I don’t want to touch it or have you try to dance on it in case we just mess something up worse.” He sighs, then looks up at the managers. “Ah, I guess we’re going to the hospital after all. Can one of you bring a van around to the door?”

“We should make some calls, let SM know what’s going on—”

And again, there’s a flicker of anger in Yunho’s face.

“There will be time for that later,” he says, voice careful again. Too controlled. “Right now, we need to get him to a doctor who can actually tell us what’s wrong. Yoochun, help me get him up. We’ll take him down to the door. I want that van there for us. Make sure it’s one of the ones with a bench in the middle.”

He’s not asking anymore, and his tone brooks no argument. The managers swap looks, then one of them rushes off. Jaejoong shifts to get his good leg under him and Yoochun and Yunho help pull him up. Before they can move, though, Changmin catches Yunho’s sleeve.

“What do you want us to do, hyung?” he asks, indicating himself and Junsu.

“We should come, too, right?” says Junsu, crowding up next to Changmin and looking worriedly from Yunho to Jaejoong. “I don’t want to stay here while Jaejoong-hyung’s at the hospital.”

“Don’t worry so much, I’m fine,” Jaejoong tells him, balancing between Yunho’s and Yoochun’s shoulders. “I probably just twisted something.” Junsu shouldn’t worry.

“Hyung—” Junsu starts, but Yunho cuts him off.

“Jaejoong is right; we’ve all been injured before. I’m sure it’ll be fine. If you two want to come to that’s fine, but you’ll have to take a separate car — you should keep that leg as still as possible just in case,” he adds, turning to Jaejoong. “We’ll put you in the bench seat. Yoochun will sit in back. Come on.”

  


It takes longer than it should to get down the hall and into the elevator, mostly because it takes Jaejoong a while to figure out how to walk only on one leg, even with Yunho and Yoochun’s help. It takes them a bit to figure it out too. One of the remaining managers offers to carry him _(which Jaejoong absolutely does not want; it’s one thing when he’s fine and it’s one of his bandmates just picking him up to goof around, but being carried around like an invalid is entirely different and he doesn’t want that unless it’s absolutely necessary)_ , but Yunho nixes that idea in a flash, saying that there’s no way to do it without jostling his leg and risking further injury.

Getting him into the van is a completely stupid ordeal, mostly due to Yunho’s sudden over-caution _(and it might be overprotectiveness, it really might, but that’s maybe a little more than Jaejoong can handle thinking about right now so he doesn’t)_ They make several false starts, Jaejoong trying to jump up into the van and Yunho scolding and grabbing him too hard and poor Yoochun trying to help and keep out of the way at the same time. Finally Yunho turns them around and climbs in first, reaching down to grip Jaejoong under his armpits and lift him up and back into the van and onto the seat.

And there’s a moment, there in the van, while Yoochun climbs into the back and Jaejoong settles himself sideways on the bench seat, when their eyes meet. And Jaejoong isn’t quite sure what to call the things he sees there, isn’t sure he could name any of them, let alone all of them, but it’s big and meaningful somehow and his chest tightens up for a second. He reaches out. Squeezes Yunho’s knee where he’s crouched there in the foot-well beside him. Yunho’s hand closes over his, squeezing back, and then he’s gone, slipping out and shutting the door behind him. Jaejoong blinks, flexes his hand, then shakes himself and buckles his seatbelt.

Yunho gets into the passenger seat up front, telling Yeongrok, one of their junior managers, to drive and pulling out his cell phone.

“Ah, good. You should tell the company what’s going on,” Yeongrok says. “They’ll want to know—”

“I’m not calling them, I’m calling the hospital,” says Yunho shortly, thumbing through his contacts.

“Since when do you keep the hospital’s number?” Jaejoong wants to know. Sure, they’ve all been there enough, but he doesn’t know or keep the number. He didn’t think any of them did. It’s not like they have to call ahead; SM has an arrangement with the closest hospitals so they can just go when they need to.

“Since Changmin.” It’s all Yunho says, but it’s all he needs to. Jaejoong knows what he means. Understand why. About a year ago, when Changmin’s growth spurts started, he collapsed right after one of their performances. He was fine, just exhausted and not eating enough _(it’s hard, when they’re on tour, to eat regularly and adrenaline can only make up for so much, after all)_ , but it was scary because it was the first time anything like that had ever happened. And Yunho, as the leader, had felt it the most, taken on the most responsibility — though he probably hadn’t confided that to anyone other than Jaejoong. So Jaejoong understands. Of course Yunho would have the number, of course he would want to be prepared for anything else that might happen now. And of course he’d take on all that responsibility all by himself. He’s Yunho, it’s what he does.

“Does it hurt?” Yoochun asks, hanging over the back of the bench seat as Yunho waits for someone at the hospital to pick up. Jaejoong shakes his head.

“Not really?” he says. “It’s weird. It kind of feels like…like when you walk into something, only a little different. More wrong. But not — not quite so painful. Or, not as — I don’t know. Directly painful?” He shrugs. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Sounds weird,” says Yoochun. “Why does the weird stuff always happen to you?”

Jaejoong huffs and makes a face. “Wish I knew,” he mutters. “Then maybe I could stop it happening.”

“Ah, I doubt it.” Yoochun grins at him. “I think the world likes to play jokes on you.”

“Well, it should play funnier jokes then.”

“Okay,” says Yunho, closing the phone and turning to look back at them. “They’re going to meet us at the emergency entrance. Ah, hyung,” he adds, turning to Yeongrok, “you’ll still need to park the van, so…do you want someone to wait for you? They said they have a private room open so we shouldn’t be hard to find…”

“I—” Yeongrok starts but Yunho cuts in again, snapping his fingers.

“Ah, someone should wait for Junsu and Changmin anyway,” he says. “Why don’t we figure out what room we’ll be in and then you can park and come when they get here.”

In the rearview mirror, Jaejoong can see Yeongrok’s eyes go wide for a second before he manages to smooth his features again. “I should really stay with you,” he says and his face might be calm again but Jaejoong can hear the bits of uncertainty in his voice. “You three shouldn’t be left alone. That’s part of my job.”

“It’s a hospital,” says Yunho. “There’s plenty of security and no one knows we’re coming. Not yet, anyway. And you’re the only one who can park this thing.”

“I could do it,” pipes up Yoochun from the back.

“You don’t even have your license yet,” Yunho snorts. “The last thing we need is some sort of parking lot accident scandal.”

“You can drive,” their manager reminds them. It’s true, Yunho has his license, but—

“Ah, but the car I drive is tiny,” Yunho points out. “We don’t need me in an accident either.”

“Fine,” Yeongrok says, almost tersely, his face tight — anger or worry Jaejoong’s not sure. “Fine, but you three stay together and once you get to the room stay there until the rest of us arrive. And don’t talk to anyone other than the doctor.”

“Okay, hyung,” says Yunho, peering out the window as they pull up. “Stop here; I think I recognize the nurse.”

They pull over. The nurse, a short, sturdy woman maybe in her early forties, tells their manager what room they’ll be in while Yunho and Yoochun help Jaejoong out of the van and into a wheelchair _(which is irritating and feels stupid, but is at least easier than hopping along in between his bandmates)._ The nurse pushes him and Yunho and Yoochun trail along after them. While they walk, the nurse asks questions: how are they doing, what happened, how did Jaejoong fall, does it hurt, how much, has he had trouble with the knee before, on and on until they reach a room with a bed and a window. Then they unload him onto the bed and Yoochun shuts the door.

“The doctor is on her way,” the nurse tells them, pulling out a thermometer and taking Jaejoong’s temperature. “She should be here in a few minutes.”

“I’m not sick,” Jaejoong protests as she takes the thing out of his ear and checks the reading. “I fell.”

“It’s just standard,” she says vaguely, making a note in what he assumes is his chart. Jaejoong rolls his eyes at Yunho and Yoochun, but doesn’t complain again. He knows it’s standard, really, it just feels stupid.

By the time Yeongrok arrives with Junsu, Changmin, and also Jaejin, one of the senior managers _(because neither of them has their license yet either)_ , the doctor is there and is scheduling him for an MRI.

“MRI?” says Junsu, trying to make a beeline from the door to where Jaejoong is sitting up on the bed _(the doctor had him lie down to test his range of motion)_ but getting intercepted by Yoochun. “Why does he need an MRI? Hyung, let go. Why do you need an MRI?”

“Aish, you’re so noisy,” Yoochun scolds him lightly. “How is anyone supposed to answer you if you keep talking?”

Junsu quiets immediately and stands still, looking expectantly around the room.

“He needs an MRI to confirm the diagnosis,” the doctor says calmly. “I think Jaejoong-ssi has damaged the cartilage in his knee — it can happen sometimes if you fall just right — I just want to make sure.”

“Is it bad?” asks Yunho, moving to the end of the bed.

“How long will it take him to get better?” Jaejin asks.“If he’s going to be bedridden for a long time, we’ll need to let SM know.”

Anger flickers across Yunho’s face again but Jaejoong is too stuck on the word ‘bedridden’ to really notice. He’s injured his knee, that’s all. Surely he won’t be stuck in bed. Right?

And maybe the doctor sees something of his alarm in his face because she says quickly, “He won’t be bedridden, though he might need crutches for a while. How long it will take him to heal will depend on how much damage there is, and he’ll have to be careful for a while for sure. But this is a very common injury and he’s young. He should make a full recovery. We’ll know more after the MRI.”

  


It doesn’t take too long, really; the MRI itself takes about thirty minutes and then they spend another half hour or so waiting in the room for the results. Jaejoong sits on the bed and plays rock-paper-scissors with Yoochun and Junsu while Yunho tries not to pace and the managers sit in the chairs along the wall looking serious. Changmin sits on the bed with Jaejoong and the others, but he doesn’t play and his eyes keep flicking back and forth between the managers and Yunho.

When Doctor Lee comes back, she shows them all the image of his knee, which is kind of cool, actually. Like an x-ray, but with muscle and cartilage as well.

“See here?” she says, pointing to a bit of the image. “This is the cartilage inside the knee. It’s torn here; you can tell because it’s a little gray, instead of clear like on the other side.”

“Ah, hyung, look,” says Junsu, excited. “It’s your knee, hyung.”

Jaejoong doesn’t know whether to laugh or just hit him for being ridiculous. Of course it’s his knee; that was the whole point. He sighs and shakes his head.

“How bad is it?” he asks the doctor.

“Not too bad,” she says slowly. “If you’re careful — and I mean careful — it may heal all by itself. But it will take time. How much will depend on how careful you are and how well you take care of yourself. It will also depend on how quickly your body heals in general. It could take as little as six weeks or as much as three or four months, though that is on the long end.”

“Six weeks?” Jaejoong’s mouth drops open. That’s over a month, and maybe more. Probably more, given how impatient he is and how bad they all tend to be at taking care of themselves. “But – but – but we have schedules. I still have to learn the rest of the choreo. We’re supposed to be filming next month.”

“Well, you are just going to have to sit this one out,” says Doctor Lee flatly. “For right now, you can recover from this. But if you push yourself too much or too fast, then no matter what you choose to do you will end up back here with a worse tear — possibly unrepairable damage — and possibly other injuries as well.”

“What he chooses?” echoes Jaejin, and, god, even when he’s being sharp he still manages to sound uninterested somehow. Like everything around him is just vaguely irritating. And Jaejoong spares a moment to wish it has been Sanghyun who was with them today. “Then there’s another option?”

“There is a surgery I could do,” Doctor Lee says. “I wouldn’t recommend it since he will most likely heal on his own, but it is an option. It involves going into the knee and removing the torn tissue. It works, and there’s very little chance of anything going wrong — it’s a common surgery — but it could complicate things down the line. The meniscus — the part of your cartilage that you’ve torn — is important. It helps stabilize and cushion the knee joint. Removing part of it will relieve the mechanical problems you’re experiencing right now: the pain, the locking and not straightening all the way, but it could also destabilize you a little. It also puts you at higher risk for arthritis as you get older.”

“Would he be better faster?” the manager wants to know _(and of course, of course they need to know that. He’s no good to the company if he can’t perform. He knows that. Of course they want the fastest recovery time possible)_. The anger that Yunho has so carefully been hiding on and off since Jaejoong first fell flashes in his eyes again, and there’s nothing hidden or subtle about it this time. It’s right there, raw and hard on his face and the only reason Jaejin doesn’t see it is because Yunho is facing the Doctor Lee and not him. And maybe that’s why she answers the way she does.

“Not fast enough to be dancing difficult choreography within a month,” she says. “He would still need to be careful, be on crutches for a while, and take it easy for at least two months.”

Something beeps, and she checks something small and black clipped to her pocket.

“I’ve got a page I have to respond to. Why don’t you take some time to think about it. I should be back within the hour and I can answer any questions you have.” She speaks directly to Jaejoong, and waits for him to answer, ignoring everyone else in the room.

“Okay,” he says.

“Alright,” she says, then scrawls something on a piece of paper. “This is my pager number. If I’m gone for more than an hour or if you need something, call it. If I can’t come, I’ll make sure someone does.”

Jaejin starts forward but Doctor Lee hands the paper to Jaejoong, who nods his understanding. The she smiles at him, bows slightly to the room at large, then hurries off, closing the door behind her.

There’s silence for a moment, then, “So,” Yoochun says, “what do you want to do, hyung?”

Jaejoong blinks. “I — have no idea,” he says. He doesn’t. He really doesn’t. He thought this would be something simple; a twisted or sprained joint at worse. He’d wear a simple brace for a week or so and do some stretches and get to take it easy for a bit and then it would be back to work. Business as usual. But this… Six weeks at the least? More probably months, or surgery, which is more than a little terrifying in and of itself, but then add the potential consequences and he honestly has no idea what to do. “I—” He breaks off. Stares at the MRI images, still tacked up on the light-board on the wall. Doesn’t see them, not really. “I don’t know, what do you guys think?” If nothing else it will give him more time to get his head around this.

“Ah, if your body will heal naturally on it’s own,” says Changmin slowly, “that might be best. Natural usually is. And it would avoid any of the risks that come with surgery. And if you don’t heal own your own, you can always get the surgery later.”

Junsu, still sitting on the bed with Jaejoong, nods. “Yeah. Also, surgery is risky. What if they make a mistake and you can never dance again?”

“Aish, you worry so much,” says Yoochun. “You heard the doctor; they do this kind of surgery all the time. I’m sure if Jaejoong wants to do it, it won’t be a problem.” He turns to Jaejoong. “Ah, but I think I agree with them anyway. Natural healing is probably better and it sounds like it will take a while no matter what you do, so…”

“SM will pay for the surgery if the insurance won’t cover it,” says Jaejin. He’s on his phone, texting, Jaejoong thinks. Probably someone higher up the chain back at SM. “If it’s a quicker recovery time—”

“Ah, but surgery _is_ risky,” says Yeongrok uncertainly. “Maybe they’re right and he should—”

“Major surgery is risky,” Jaejin dismisses. “This is standard. And he’ll have the best doctors here, SM can afford it.”

“Enough,” says Yunho, speaking for the first time since the doctor came back with the MRI images. “Don’t overwhelm him. It’s a big decision, but he doesn’t have to make it right now.”

“Ah, U-Know-ssi—”

“Hyung—”

“I said enough,” Yunho snaps suddenly. “Look, we never did eat lunch. Why don’t you all go get some.” Jaejoong frowns. He has the distinct impression that Yunho is trying to get everyone out of the room as fast as possible.

“But, hyung—”

“No, leader is right,” says Yoochun, clearing catching the suddenly dangerous feeling in the room. “Jaejoong doesn’t have to decide right now. Anyway, I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat. Yunho-hyung can stay here with Jaejoong and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid like try to walk while he thinks.”

Jaejoong rolls his eyes and sticks his tongue out at Yoochun, who laughs and make a face right back at him.

“Okay,” Changmin says. “Hyung, do you want us to bring you anything?” he asks Yunho. “You didn’t eat either.”

“No, it’s fine,” says Yunho and his is voice is so careful, so stiff, and Jaejoong doesn’t know how anyone in the room hasn’t realized how angry he is, even if they’re not sure why. “I’ll get something later myself. You guys go on.”

Yeongrok hesitates. Looks at Yunho’s face. Says, “Ah, alright then, come on. There must be a cafeteria here somewhere,” and then moves quick to the door, holding it open and motioning Yoochun, Junsu, and Changmin outside. “Ah, are you coming?” he asks Jaejin.

“No, one of us should stay here.” The man is still on his phone, but his eyes are on Yunho. “Bring me back some coffee.”

“Okay,” his junior says and bolts from the room.

The silence that follows feels loud. Louder than when everyone was talking all at once, louder than screaming crowds at performances. Maybe louder than anything he’s ever heard. It presses in on Jaejoong’s eardrums, thick and uncomfortable.

“Ah, Yunho—” he tries, but he might as well be in a different room — might as well be on an entirely different planet — for all the notice they take of him.

“I’d like to speak to Jaejoong alone,” says Yunho, too careful. Too controlled. Too polite to actually be polite. “Please leave.”

“I don’t think there’s really anything to talk about,” says Jaejin. “The surgery will be faster. There’s virtually no risk. SM—”

“Did I ask what SM thinks? Did I ask what SM wants?” And outright fury is something Jaejoong’s never seen in Yunho before. It would almost be fascinating if it weren’t so fucking scary. Yunho’s fists are clenched and his jaw is set and there’s something in his eyes, something that feels so, so dangerous. “This is Jaejoong’s decision. It has nothing to do with SM.”

“They employ him — they employ all of you. Your health is their concern.”

“They don’t have any right to dictate our medical decisions. And you don’t have any right to be here. Get out. Or I’ll call the doctor back and have her throw you out.”

“But—”

“I said. Get. Out.” It’s almost a growl. But it isn’t. And somehow that’s worse. It’s not Yunho’s leader voice, and it’s not his normal this-could-be-something-we-laugh-about-if-you-drop-it-right-now-or-it-could-be-a-huge-fight borderline-angry voice. This is something else entirely. Cold and hard; wrought-iron will suddenly bleeding through the usually happy-go-lucky exterior. If Yunho were anyone else, Jaejoong would actually be afraid he might hit the man. But it’s Yunho, so he won’t. _(Probably.)_

For a moment, nothing happens. They just stand there, staring at each other, cold fury on _(nervous)_ indignation. Then, suddenly, so suddenly that Jaejoong has shake himself and look again to make sure that it happened, Jaejin turns and walks out the door. In the silence that follows, Jaejoong can hear Yunho breathing, a little hard, a little shaky.

“Ah,” he says, and it’s maybe a little awkward, a little nervous, because he really has no idea what just happened or why, but he’s almost _(maybe. A little bit)_ sure that it has something to do with him. With Yunho trying, somehow, to protect him. “Ah, you…you shouldn’t have done that.”

Yunho takes a deep breath. And then another.

“What would you have done if he refused? It’s not like we can actually tell them what to do. They’re managers.”

“I don’t care,” says Yunho.

“Yunho—”

“He doesn’t have the right to be in here, Jae, not if you don’t want him here. You’re the patient so it’s your call.”

“You still shouldn’t have done it,” Jaejoong says. “He’s going to be pissed. I don’t want you in trouble just for—” and he’s not actually sure what all that was for, how to express what he’s thinking, but it turns out he doesn’t have to because Yunho cuts him off, shaking his head.

“No,” he says, turning to face Jaejoong and coming over to stand by where he’s sitting on the bed. “No, it needed to be done. I didn’t like it when they pushed Changmin for earrings, and then when they pushed me for the veneers — I let them do it, because I didn’t really mind, but— I think it was wrong. I went over my contract again with my parents. They don’t have any right to make medical decisions for us. None. I shouldn’t have let it go then, but I did. I can’t change that but there’s no way I’m going to let them push you into surgery if it’s not what you want.”

“I don’t know what I want,” Jaejoong says. “I — shit, I don’t know.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I — god, why does this stuff happen to me? I just fell, and now – surgery?” He swallows. Shakes his head. Looks at Yunho. “What do I do?”

Yunho laughs wryly. “I just threw one of our managers out of here to stop him telling you what to do. And now you’re asking me?”

Jaejoong shrugs. “I know,” he says. “But I don’t know what I want. So I’m asking what you think.”

“I think,” Yunho says slowly, frowning, “I think if it were me, I’d try the natural healing. But that’s me. This is you. I know how much you hate waiting and doing nothing.”

“So you think I should get the surgery?”

Yunho shakes his head. “I think you should do what’s right for you,” he says. “If — if I were picking, I’d choose just being patient and letting your body heal itself. But I’m not picking, you are, and—” He breaks off, then shrugs and give Jaejoong a tired smile. “Look,” he says, “I’m with you, whatever you choose. I just want to make sure that you’re the one doing the choosing, not some company higher-ups who don’t even know you. So nevermind what I think, or what SM wants. What do you think?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think.”

“You must be thinking something,” Yunho prompts.

“I —” Jaejoong falters. “I don’t know, I mean, I mean _months_? I’m supposed to just sit around waiting to get better for months? Even if it’s only six weeks, that’s still such a long time. But — but surgery —” His voice drops of its own accord, coming out something half-whisper, half-croak and Yunho steps closer and takes his hands. Jaejoong swallows and then presses on. “I wouldn’t like to have arthritis and — and she said — Doctor Lee, she said I might still have trouble with it even after, but—”

But SM wants him to recover faster. Wants him to get the surgery. Barely took him on in the first place. And the fans like him now but they didn’t at first.

And Yunho just shouted at one of their more senior managers and threw him out of the room and he’s going to be in so much trouble for that and—

“Aish, I don’t know, I don’t know. Maybe I should just get the surgery; I’m a shit dancer anyway so—”

“That’s not true at all,” Yunho breaks in, looking startled and then almost stern. “You get distracted, and then you get nervous. But you’re not shit, not when you’re on form.”

“Yes, I a—”

“No, you’re not.” Yunho’s fingers tighten on his, gripping hard, and when Jaejoong looks up, Yunho practically glares back at him. “Don’t even try to argue with me, I know what I’m talking about. Yoochun might be consistent but he never gives it his all unless we’re filming music videos, and even then it’s just for his bits. Changmin’s still growing into his body and Junsu always dances like it’s a competition, but you — you get distracted and then sometimes you mess up, but when you’re _feeling_ it instead of worrying about it, you’re better than all of them.”

Jaejoong’s mouth drops open. That is — that is so not even true and, and—

“I’m not _you,”_ he says without thinking, then winces and looks away, because that sounds a little… What he meant — what he means — is that Yunho is amazing. That Yunho is the most amazing dancer he knows. But — but it maybe came out sounding more like something else. Like jealousy or insecurity or — or something, but it wasn’t, he swears it wasn’t, and why is he so fucking bad at this?

He peeks up through his lashes. Yunho is staring fixedly at their hands, still clasped on Jaejoong’s knees. There’s a faint blush in his cheeks and when his fingers squeeze Jaejoong’s this time, it’s a little different. Less like stopping and more like just hanging on, and maybe it’s okay that he’s bad at this.

“Yeah, well,” says Yunho, still not looking at him, “you’re still not shit at it. So you’re definitely not allowed to just write yourself off to risky surgery just because you think you are.”

Jaejoong’s lips quirk. “I thought you weren’t telling me what to do,” he teases.

Yunho huffs at him. “I’m not telling you what to do,” he says. “I’m just vetoing one of your reasons because it’s stupid. And also wrong.”

Jaejoong makes a face at him, then sighs and says, “So I don’t want to have the surgery, but I also don’t want to just wait, but if I don’t like either option where does that leave me? I have to pick one, I can’t just sit here and not decide forever. And I —” He hesitates. Closes his eyes. Rests his forehead against Yunho’s. Then plunges on. “I don’t want SM to be angry.”

He doesn’t specify whether it’s himself or Yunho he doesn’t want the company to be angry with. The truth is, it’s both, but he has a feeling that if he says that, they’ll end up in an argument about whether it’s Jaejoong’s job or not to protect Yunho and he knows Yunho will tell him that it’s not. That he shouldn’t worry about it. Except that he is worried. And he wants to help. Wants to protect his friend _(so much more than a friend)_. So he doesn’t say it.

Yunho sighs. Reaches up a hand to stroke Jaejoong’s hair _(and this is dangerous. Even here, it’s a little dangerous, because the room could have security cameras and this is definitely more than toeing the line of ‘close friends’ but there’s no way Jaejoong can pull away from it. From this moment of almost calm)_.

“Okay,” Yunho says, and he sounds sure again. Like he knows now. Like there’s a plan. “Okay. Let’s call the doctor back. Maybe there’s some kind of middle-ground.”

  


It’s a lot easier to talk to the doctor without everyone else there. For one thing there are no more interruptions or anxious questions from his other members. No more chaos of everyone talking at once or the doctor trying to figure out who to answer first, or even at all. It’s much quieter this time, much simpler. But maybe most of all, there’s no one else trying to have an opinion or watching him that way adults do sometimes when they’re waiting to see if you make the right decision or not. Jaejoong feels like, with just himself, Doctor Lee, and Yunho in the room, there’s suddenly space for him to ask questions and voice concerns and not have to worry about if he’s prioritizing the way everyone else thinks he should. _(Because he’s not actually sure what his priorities are. How they’re ordered. Talking with Yunho helped, but he still feels a little lost here, and mostly he just wants more information and now that he feels like he can actually ask, he just says things as they come to him and it’s so much easier this way. And he might be worried about Yunho getting into trouble later, but right now he’s just so, so glad that he kicked everyone else out.)_

“There is a third option,” the doctor tells them, when Jaejoong explains — a little clumsily, a little disorganized, but Yunho helps so it’s okay — what he’s thinking. “I meant to mention it earlier but things got a little…chaotic. It _is_ still surgery, but it wouldn’t remove anything. Though surgery is expensive and always, no matter how minor, always comes with at least a little risk. Most people prefer to avoid it if they can.”

Jaejoong shakes his head. “I want to know all my options,” he says. “Tell me, please.”

“There is a surgery that…it’s called a repair, but it’s really stitches,” she explains. “It’s not a magical cure, and recovery takes at least three months for certain. I would recommend more like four or five given how hard you all work. Pushing your body too fast too soon, even if you’ve healed, could reopen the tear. And although your injury is in a good spot for this to work, there’s no guarantee. About twenty percent of the time, it doesn’t work and we have to go back in and remove the torn tissue anyway.”

Jaejoong chews on the inside of his lower lip, thinking. Beside him, Yunho frowns. “You said he would most likely be able to heal on his own. Are his chances better, worse, or the same if you do this repairing surgery?”

It’s a good question, and one Jaejoong isn’t sure he’d have thought to ask. Or been able to articulate so clearly just now. He looks at Doctor Lee, waiting.

“About the same,” she tells them. “Probably a little better. It’s a smaller tear and in an area that will get blood flow so it may not necessary, but putting sutures in to hold things in place will give your body a little help. It certainly wouldn’t reduce your chances.”

Jaejoong nods slowly, still chewing his lip. “But the recovery, it’s longer? Definitely?”

“I can’t answer that,” she says gently. “It would definitely take at least three months. I can tell you what that recovery would look like, but since I don’t know how quickly or slowly your body would take to heal on it’s own, I can’t say with any certainty whether it would increase or decrease that time.”

Jaejoong nods again. Chews his lip some more.

“What would recovery look like?” Yunho asks as Jaejoong’s silence continues.

“After we release you, you would have crutches and a knee brace,” Doctor Lee says, folding her hands in her lap. “The knee brace would be locked in the extended position — fully straight — for the first month and you’d need to wear it any time you were walking or standing. The crutches are to help for that first month and after as needed; you may want them for balance even once you’re allowed to unlock the brace. After that first month we unlock the brace and you’re allowed to move around as you normally would — though, in your case, I should say ‘as you normally would around the house on a day off.’ I would not want you returning to full activity — dancing and running and performing — until at least three months after. Whether it was three months or four months or five months would depend on how you were healing, which, again, would be determined partly on your body and partly on how well you take care of yourself. You would also probably want some physical therapy, though I can’t tell you as much about that end. But I can make you a referral if you decide you want to do this. Actually, a physical therapist would be a good idea either way. They can help you figure out how best to stay relatively in shape without doing further injury to yourself while you heal.”

Jaejoong frowns. It sounds like a lot, but it also sounds like the most solid plan he’s heard so far. And it’s something he could do. And it might take a long time but it sounds more and more like no matter what he does it’s going to take more time then he wants and this, at least, isn’t just doing nothing.

“Okay,” he says.

“Are you sure?” Doctor Lee asks.

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Yunho says. “You could still take a day to think about it.”

But this is actually a solution. Maybe to all of his problems. It’s actively doing something which, weirdly _(or, maybe not so weirdly)_ makes him feel better,  but it lets him avoid some of the risks, like having to worry about problems with stability and future arthritis. If he makes a full recovery he’ll still be able to dance. Still be able to perform. To really give his all to TVXQ and the music and not have to worry about if he’s going to keep being able to do it, because this is his life and it’s hard and it’s exhausting and sometimes it makes him crazy but he wants it.

And, even if the recovery time is still a little on the long side, because it’s actively doing something, SM won’t be able to complain. Won’t be angry with him. Will be happy — well, _happier_. And if they’re happier, maybe they won’t punish Yunho for pulling rank _(a rank he doesn’t even have, for fuck’s sake. How the hell did he do that? Sometimes Jaejoong isn’t even sure how someone like Yunho exists)_ on a senior manager.

“No,” he says, a little louder this time. A little more sure. “No, I’ve decided. This is a good compromise.”

“Alright,” Doctor Lee says, nodding and getting up from the seat she’s been sitting in. “Alright, then. Usually this would take a day or two at least to schedule, but if you want, I can see if there’s an operating room open for today.”

Jaejoong nods. “Sooner is better, I think.” The sooner he gets this done, the sooner he can start to get better, after all. Also, it gives him less time to think about it. Less time to be terrified and maybe change his mind.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. When’s the last time you ate anything?”

“Breakfast, this morning. I got hurt before we could break for lunch and then we came right here.”

“Okay, that’s good, you’re not really supposed to eat before surgery anyway.” She picks up his file. “Wait here. I’ll be back in maybe ten minutes.” She leaves. Closes the door.

As soon as she’s gone, Yunho closes with Jaejoong, coming to stand in front of him again and taking his hands.

“You’re sure?” he asks. “This is what you want? It might be faster to just let your body heal by itself.”

“Or it might be slower,” Jaejoong counters. “Or I might not heal on my own at all. And — and I like knowing more for certain what it’s going to be like. I’m sure.”

Yunho studies him for a moment, dark eyes searching his face. Then he swallows. Nods. “Okay,” he says. “Okay, if it’s what you — ah, do you want me to go find the others so you can tell them?”

No. No, he does not want that. He wants Yunho to stay right where he is. _(Well, actually what he really wants is for Yunho to climb up on the bed with him and make proper use of it, because that would definitely distract him from being nervous, but, somehow, he thinks that’s probably a bad idea.)_

“No, it’s fine,” he says, shaking his head. “They’ll find out when they find out. I just want to know how long I’m going to have to wait.”

Yunho laughs a little at that. “Impatient,” he says.

Jaejoong smirks and flips his hands palm-up under Yunho’s, spreading his fingers out. Letting the tips just barely ghost along Yunho’s skin. “You ought to know.”

Yunho smiles. Flexes his own fingers. Runs his thumbs up the undersides of Jaejoong’s then circles into his palms, so light it almost itches. Jaejoong shivers.

“Oh, I have some idea,” Yunho tells him, and the grin he’s wearing is almost as good as the touch _(and this is so not the time, it really, really isn’t, but that doesn’t mean Jaejoong can’t dream)_.

There’s a knock on the door and they both jump. Jaejoong sighs. Yunho smiles at him and pulls back.

“What?” Jaejoong calls. “Come in.”

The door opens and Doctor Lee pokes her head inside. “I ran into the rest of your friends on my way back,” she says. “Do you want me to let them in, or would you rather have someone else explain.”

“It’s fine, they can come,” Jaejoong says. Now that he’s made up his mind, it hardly matters. “Did you find something? Can I do this today?”

The doctor opens the door all the way and comes in, followed by Yoochun, Junsu, Changmin, and the two managers. Jaejoong glances between Yunho and Jaejin, suddenly wondering if letting everyone back in at once was a good idea, but Yunho just smiles and laughs at Changmin, who brought him a container of something from the cafeteria anyway.

“I told you I could get my own,” he says, taking the container and chopsticks. It smells good, and Jaejoong wishes he could eat something before all this. Now that there’s food in the room and he can smell it, he’s starving.

“I know, hyung, but—”

“I told him to,” Yoochun says, slinging an arm around the taller boy. “You forget to eat half the time, anyway.”

“Aish, you all act like I’m such an old man,” Yunho teases, smiling at Yoochun and reaching out to ruffle Changmin’s hair. “Thanks.”

There’s a tug on Jaejoong’s sleeve and he turns to find Junsu standing there, holding out another container. “We got you something too, hyung.”

Jaejoong reaches out to take it without thinking, then stops, eyes sliding across the room to Doctor Lee. She shakes her head.

“Ah,” he says, hands falling back to his lap. “Thanks, but I’m not supposed to eat anything.”

Junsu frowns, confused. “Why not? Is something else wrong with you?”

“What? No,” says Jaejoong, and he shouldn’t be surprised, he really shouldn’t. Junsu always worries weird things. “No, there’s nothing wrong with me, I just—”

“Jaejoong-ssi can’t eat before surgery,” says Doctor Lee, rescuing Jaejoong from having to explain. “It’s not really a good idea to mix food and anesthesia.”

There’s a moment if silence as everyone absorbs this, then, “Ah,” Yoochun says. “You decided to get the surgery after all?”

“Ah, but,” says Junsu, looking from Jaejoong to Yunho, his face crumpling up in some bizarre mixture of anxiety and something that might be anger, “but _arthritis,_ hyung. And, and, and risk things. Arthritis.” It’s almost comical, how alarmed he is. “Hyung,” he turns to Yunho, starting forward, hands reaching out to seize in clothing no doubt. Yoochun grabs him again. “Hyung, you can’t let him do this, can you? You can’t—”

Jaejoong claps a hand over Junsu’s mouth. Shakes his head. Says, “Aish, shut up, would you? It’s a different surgery. It’ll take me a little longer to heal, but there’s no risk of arthritis or anything, okay?”

Junsu stills, eyes darting suspiciously from Jaejoong to the doctor, who nods.

“It’s a little unusual for as small a tear as he has,” she says, “but given what you boys do for a living it’s probably a wise choice.” She turns to Jaejoong. “If you still want to do this today, there’s an OR open and a doctor available in a little over half an hour. You’re lucky; we’ve been quite busy all week, but today is slow.”

“Now?” says Changmin, frowning. “Doesn’t surgery take longer to plan for? Aren’t there things you’re supposed to be before?”

“For major surgery, yes,” Doctor Lee agrees, “but for most minor, minimally invasive surgeries, it’s mostly just a matter of scheduling. We can’t usually fit someone in right away, not unless it’s an emergency, but, as I said, it’s been slow today so we have room.”

Jaejoong nods. “Let’s do it,” he says. “I don’t want to wait.”

“Alright,” she says, nodding. “I’ll let the OR know. There’s some sterile gowns here,” she indicates a small cabinet. “You’ll need to put one on. The anesthesiologist should be with you in twenty minutes or so. Do you know if you want a local, or just general anesthesia?”

“What?” says Jaejoong; he has no idea what either of those means. “Don’t they just knock you out?”

The doctor laughs, hiding her smile behind a hand. “They can,” she explains. “That’s called general anesthesia. But this is a minor enough procedure — and far enough away from anything too major — that a local anesthetic is also an option. You wouldn’t be able to feel anything, but you would be awake and aware.”

“You mean he would be able to see them operating on him?” says Junsu, eyes going wide. Doctor Lee nods. “Cool,” Junsu decides.

Jaejoong shakes his head. “Just knock me out, please,” he says. It’s not that he’s squeamish, exactly, but the idea of watching — of only being able to lie there and watch — as someone else, someone he doesn’t even know, wields sharp objects around and inside of his body, even just his knee, is one he definitely does not like. Far better to just sleep through it.

“Alright, I’ll let him know. Get changed and don’t eat anything.” She leaves. Jaejoong sighs; he hates hospital gowns.

“Okay,” he says. “Can someone grab me one of those?” He nods at the cabinet full of gowns, then pulls up his good leg to take off his other shoe. Changmin, who’s the closest, reaches up and tosses him one. Jaejoong picks it up, puts his shoe aside, then looks around the room. There’s an attached bathroom. Nice. He scoots off the bed, slowly, careful not to knock his knee on anything or put any weight on it.

“What are you doing?” Yunho demands, rushing forward to steady him even though he doesn’t need it yet.

“Going to the bathroom to change,” Jaejoong tells him. “I want to pee anyway.” Waking up fresh from surgery and not being able to move and having to pee really badly doesn’t really sound like fun.

Yunho makes a fussy, huffing sound, but steps into place at Jaejoong’s right side, wrapping an arm securely around his waist. They stumble over to the bathroom, and Yunho helps him inside. Jaejoong closes the door. Yunho gives him a curious look.

“Shut up,” Jaejoong tells him preemptively. “I can’t put weight on this and I can’t take off my pants sitting down.”

“Oh. Right.” And it’s a little awkward, letting Yunho help him out of his clothes and into the gown — the damn thing ties in the back; who’s stupid idea was that? — but not as bad as he thinks it could be. Nowhere near as awkward as would be with someone else. Honestly, the weirdest part is how clinical it is. Usually when they undress each other it’s a lot more enjoyable. Yunho finishes tying the gown, gathers up Jaejoong’s clothes, then hesitates, one hand on the doorknob.

“I—” he starts, then stops, presses his lips together. “You’re sure?”

Jaejoong nods. Swallows. “I’m sure. Don’t talk me out of it.” It would be way too easy. It’s already stupid, how nervous he is. If he actually lets himself think about it…

“Okay, okay, sorry,” says Yunho. “Sorry, I’m just—” He stops again. Takes his hand off the door. Runs it through his hair. Takes a breath. Then he looks at Jaejoong and smiles. Steps forward, slides a hand into his hair. Kisses him, quick. Just once. Pulls back. Opens the door. Says, “Let me know when you’re ready.” Slips out.

Jaejoong licks his lips. Takes a deep breath of his own. Then he squares his shoulders. No turning back now.

  


Everyone waits with him; Yunho helps him back to the bed to sit and Yoochun teases him about the gown, saying he should wear it to a concert some time and see what the fans think. Jaejoong tells him that’s fine, just so long as Yoochun has to do it too. The others take it up and by the time the anesthesiologist shows up, Junsus is wearing a full gown backwards over his clothes and is trying to put another, backless one on Yeongrok, aided and abetted by Yoochun and Yunho, while Jaejoong and Changmin fall all over themselves laughing. It might be embarrassing to be caught being so ridiculous, but they’re idols; ridiculous is pretty much just what they do. The anesthesiologist, on the other hand… he stands in the doorway, staring for a moment, then seems to decide it’s safest not to ask.

“Doctor Lee said you wanted general anesthesia, not local?” he says to Jaejoong, pushing the IV station he brought with him over to the bed beside Jaejoong and starting to look through the medications.

Jaejoong nods. “I don’t want to be awake,” he says.

“Okay,” says the man. “Give me your arm.” Ten minutes, several medical questions, and a stupid number of times checking to be sure which knee he’s having surgery on later and Jaejoong is hooked up to the IV and the anesthesiologist has given him a shot to knock him out.

“You know, you don’t all have to stay,” he tells his bandmates as the man leaves again, probably to tell the surgical team to be ready for him or something.

“You’re kidding, right?” says Yoochun, grinning. “This is the closest thing we’ve had to a day off in weeks. I’m not going back to the studio now.”

Junsu and Changmin nod. “We want to stay,” says Junsu.

“If we go home now, we’ll just have to listen to Junsu worry all day,” says Changmin, elbowing the shorter boy. Junsu sticks his tongue out at him. Jaejoong smiles. His eyes feels heavy. He lies back. Forces his eyes back open. Looks at Yunho, now standing beside his bed.

“No way are we going anywhere,” Yunho says, reaching out and gripping his hand. “We’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Jaejoong squeezes his fingers. Tries to say something, to tease that that’s a thought more frightening than surgery, but he’s not so sure he manages it. It doesn’t matter, Yunho smiles anyway. It’s probably the best thing he could see before all this. He lets his eyes fall shut.

  


Consciousness is supposed to come back slowly; he thinks he’s heard that somewhere, and maybe it does, honestly he can’t really tell. He feels weird, like waking up from way too deep a sleep. There are voices around him, but it takes him a minute to process that. To place them. Put names to them. Junsu; loud, always, but laughing, so at least he’s not worrying again. Changmin; quiet for now, the way he is sometimes. Junsu overwhelms him, Jaejoong thinks. Yoochun; weirdly cynical for someone so laid back. He doesn’t show it to the fans, preferring for them to only see his happy side, his playfulness, but away from the cameras he’s always been that way. A little closer are less familiar voices, probably the managers. Jaejoong is both surprised and completely unsurprised that they’re still here. One voice is missing though.

Jaejoong opens his eyes. Both Yeongrok and Jaejin are standing a little ways away from his bed, probably less to be near to him and more to give the others some space. Changmin, Yoochun, and Junsu are clustered at the foot of his bed. Junsu is standing on a chair, probably doing impressions or, or — honestly, who knows. And Yunho — Jaejoong’s eyes search the room and he has to blink a few times in order to focus but — Yunho is curled up in a chair in the corner, watching as the others goof off. He looks tired, but he’s smiling.

“Hey,” Jaejoong says. Or tries to say. All that really comes out is a croak. He’s not sure if it’s the anesthesia or just being so deeply unconscious, but his throat feels dry like he hasn’t had anything to drink in days and the inside of his mouth feels weird and tastes worse.

“Hyung!” Junsu chirps, freezing mid-gesture and beaming at him. “You’re awake.” He hops down off the chair and almost lands on Changmin. “It’s been hours. We were starting to think you would sleep forever.”

Jaejoong clears his throat. “Who could blame me?” he jokes, moving to sit up. “That’s probably the best nap I’ve had since—” He breaks off, claps a hand over his mouth. Oh god. Sitting up was not a good idea. He can’t even walk and even if he could the bathroom still might not be close enough and—

And then Yunho is there, pushing past the managers and handing him some kind of pink not-quite-bucket. Jaejoong has just enough time to hope that nobody ever wants to use it for anything again before his body revolts completely. Yunho stays beside him, rubbing his back _(a slightly dangerous gesture, especially with the managers right there, but one which Jaejoong will thank any deity listening for in a moment, he swears he will)_ as he vomits up everything in his stomach. It’s not much; breakfast was a long time ago, after all, so after the first wave all he really brings up is bile. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to matter to his body and Jaejoong has the distinctly unpleasant experience of dry-heaving, which he’s never done before and feels like he’s either going to actually turn inside out or else pass out again. Passing out sounds like a relief, if he gets the choice.

“Ah, hyung.” Junsu’s voice. “Hyung, what’s wrong with him? Is he sick now?”

“It’s okay,” says Yunho, still rubbing Jaejoong’s back, and Jaejoong isn’t sure if the words are for him or Junsu or maybe just the room at large. “It’s okay. The doctors said the anesthesia might make you sick. It’ll wear off.” He shifts, hikes up one knee to sit on the edge of the bed next to Jaejoong. Jaejoong closes his eyes. Decides that puking his guts up and being this tired are excuse enough and leans against Yunho, trying to breath through the nausea.

“How—?” His voice cracks. He swallows, then wishes he hadn’t.

“Ah, there’s some water, if you want it,” Yunho says. Jaejoong nods and Yunho leans away from him for a moment. He opens his eyes, finds Yunho holding a cup up in front of him. He takes it.

“You should probably drink slowly,” Yunho says. “My _eomeoni_ says it’s bad to drink too fast after being sick like that.”

Jaejoong nods again; he vaguely remembers his own mother saying something similar. And he still feels pretty shaky. He uses the first sip to rinse his mouth out, spitting it into the bucket with the rest of the mess, then swallows a few tiny sips.

“How long before it wears off?” he asks as Yunho hands the bucket to one of the managers _(who looks disgusted, but doesn’t seem to know how to argue)_. “And what…happened?” He leans back into Yunho’s side, and the hand on his back starts up again, running in slow, rhythmic circles. Jaejoong lets out a shaky breath of relief. It — it really helps, that hand.

“Not too long, probably,” Yunho tells him. “They said it depends but probably no more than a hour or so. And don’t listen to Junsu; it hasn’t been _that_ long. Everything went fine. They said you can come home as soon as you can keep down fluids and simple foods.”

Jaejoong cracks an eye at him suspiciously. “Simple foods?” he repeats. “I thought you said this was going to wear off soon. How long before I can have normal food?”

“Depends,” says Yunho. “They said with some people it’s right away and with some it’s a day or two. It’s all about how your body reacts to — Ya! Park Yoochun. That’s Jaejoong’s, don’t just—”

“Ah, hyung, I don’t think he’ll mind.”

Jaejoong looks over to where Yoochun is standing, cheerfully eating what looks like jello. It’s an absolutely horrifying shade of blue. Jaejoong groans and turns to push his face into Yunho’s shoulder, which at least smells nice.

“It’s fine,” he says. “I really don’t mind.”

“See,” says Yoochun, slurping.

Yunho huffs irritably. “You didn’t even ask,” he scolds. “And he’ll have to eat something eventually.”

“Not now, I don’t,” Jaejoong proclaims into his shoulder. A hand closes around his. Jaejoong opens his eyes and turns his head to find Junsu peering at him, eyes wide in that genuinely-concerned expression he gets sometimes. The one that makes it impossible for Jaejoong not to love him. And makes him need to tease sometimes, though he doesn’t have the energy right now.

“Does it hurt, hyung?” Junsu asks him. “The nurse said you could have some — some — something, if it does.”

Jaejoong shakes his head. “I’m okay,” he says. “It’ll probably hurt later, but not right now.”

“We can get you more jello,” Junsu offers, and god, he just keeps trying, doesn’t he? It’s sweet, even if it’s totally not helping at all. “There’s some in the cafeteria. They have other flavors; orange and cherry and something that’s really green and pretty.”

Jaejoong swallows, stomach rolling at the thought. “I think,” he says, “that that’s a bad idea right now.”

“I don’t know,” says Yoochun, smirking. “If you have to be throwing up, at least you could be throwing up pretty colors.”

Jaejoong stares at him for a second, then groans and puts his face back in Yunho shoulder. “I hate you,” he tells Yoochun, who just laughs.

“Ah,” says Changmin, picking it up, “do you think if we gave him different ones it would be tie-dye?”

“Oh, that would be cool,” says Junsu. “Then the hospital would have fun sheets, too.”

“Oh god, I hate all of you,” Jaejoong says. “You are crazy and evil and I hate you.” He pokes Yunho with his nose. “Aish, and you think _I’m_ the one who says weird things.”

“I dunno, if it worked we could make shirts,” says Yunho, and Jaejoong can hear the amusement in his voice. “We could make shirts and sell them to fans as novelties.”

“Ugh, I hate you, too.”

“Sure you do,” says Yunho, laughing and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Bumping his nose into Jaejoong’s hair.

“Definitely,” Jaejoong says. “If I puke again, it’s going on you.” Behind them, where their bodies hide his hand, though, he curls two fingers through one of Yunho’s belt loops. It’s not much, barely a touch at all, but he can feel Yunho smiling into his hair anyway.

The doctor comes to check on him after a while, and tells him pretty much the same thing Yunho did. She also tells him that his stats are good, and he can probably go home some time that evening. Yunho asks if they can get some more jello. She says she’ll have a nurse bring some by and she’ll be back to check on Jaejoong again in an hour.

Jaejoong sighs, takes a few more sips of water, then gently pulls out of Yunho’s hold and shifts back against the pillows. The nausea is a little better, but he’s still pretty groggy.

“Some of you should really go home,” he says, yawning. “I’m fine, and waiting here watching me sleep is going to be pretty boring.”

Yunho hesitates, looking at the others, then he shakes his head. “I think we’ll be bored,” he says, patting Jaejoong’s leg.

  


In the end, it takes a few more hours before Jaejoong feels steady enough to eat anything, though Yunho keeps after him to drink, worried about dehydration. After he’s had some jello and then a small bowl of rice and broth, though, and nothing comes back up, Doctor Lee declares him fit to leave. She gives him a pair of crutches, shows him how to lock and unlock the knee brace, then tells him that some swelling is normal and he might have a low fever on and off for the next few days, but that if it gets high or persists for much longer than that, he should come back in case it’s an infection. He’s not to put weight on his leg for the next two or three days if he can help it, and he’s to keep off his feet as much as possible. He can shower, she says, with the brace on and the incision sites well covered, but no baths. Then she gives him a bottle of prescription strength ibuprofen to help with the pain and the swelling, which he is to use as needed provided he never exceeds the dose limit. Then there’s some paperwork, which the managers handle _(thank god)_ , and then he’s released.

It’s almost as much of a hassle getting to the van this time as it was before. The crutches are strange, though everyone assures him he’ll get used to them, and the brace feels clunky and awkward, making everything harder. By the time they all get home, there are really only two things he wants. He pokes Yunho with one of the crutches then leans them against the wall.

“Come on,” he says. “I want a shower.”

Yunho moves into position at his side without question, but Changmin and Junsu look confused.

“What’s that got to do with Yunho-hyung?” Junsu asks.

“I can’t walk, or take the brace off, and my balance is shit right now,” Jaejoong tells them irritably. “And the floor in there is slippery when it’s wet.”

“Yeah, if you fall in there, you’ll probably kill yourself,” Yoochun says, pulling off his shoes and standing back up. “Ah, do you want — I mean, I can —” He trails off, looking unsure and more than a little awkward. Yunho reaches out and grips his shoulder.

“I’ve got it,” he says.

“God, this could get weird,” Jaejoong says as Yunho closes the bathroom door behind them. He cranks the water then starts on the now stupidly complicated process of getting his pants off without bending his knee. “Is it going to be too obvious if you’re always the one in here with me?”

Yunho shrugs, throwing the lock then coming over to help him, tugging his pants down over the brace so he can step out of them.

“I’m the leader,” he says. “Looking after all of you is my responsibility, so maybe not. Besides, there’s no way I’m letting Junsu help. If he tried, you’d fall and he’d be the reason.”

Jaejoong snorts, then leans against the sink to pull his shirt off. “What was he even doing, standing on chairs when I woke up?”

Yunho shrugs. “Who knows?” he says. “It’s Junsu. Do you want me to come in with you or wait out here?”

Jaejoong stares at him, and Yunho shakes his head.

“Okay, I guess that was a stupid question. Give me a minute.” He starts pulling off his own clothing and Jaejoong uses the sink and then the wall to hobble over into the shower. The water feels amazing; he hadn’t even realized how gross this whole day had left him feeling until now, but between dance practice and surgery it’s so good to be home with the water running hot down his face. He’d grab for the soap right now, except he knows that’s a little preemptive.

“If it takes you longer to take off your clothes than me—” he starts, but the shower curtain is already twitching open again.

“Aish, can’t you ever be patient?” Yunho teases and steps into the shower with him.

Naked and just a bit tan still from the summer, Yunho looks like the most welcome sight ever. He stops under the shower head to push the hair back out of his eyes and Jaejoong leans agains the wall for a moment, just taking it in: the subtle flex of Yunho’s muscles as he moves, the stretch of his neck as he tilts his head back under spray, the way his hair looks when he shakes, all spiky and sticking out all over the place. It should look ridiculous but mostly it just makes Jaejoong want to get his fingers into it.

He reaches out a hand as Yunho opens his eyes again. “Come here?”

Yunho smiles and steps forward, winding an arm around his waist. Threading the fingers of his other hand into Jaejoong’s hair. Bending down to kiss him. Jaejoong sighs and leans right into him, opening his mouth under Yunho’s to give Yunho’s tongue entrance. God, this is better.

“Well, I guess this is at least one upside,” he says, gripping Yunho’s shoulders as Yunho starts to mouth at his neck.

“I’m not sure we’ll be able to get away with it for that long,” Yunho points out, pulling him a little closer and nipping at his collarbone, making Jaejoong hiss and press his hips up against Yunho’s.

“Shut up,” he says. “My balance sucks even on a good day and I don’t get to unlock the brace for a month. If you think I’m not taking full advantage of that, you’re crazy.”

Yunho groans softly and presses back, rocking against him just a little. “Didn’t say I was complaining,” he says.

“Good,” says Jaejoong. He leans back against the wall and pulls Yunho after him, knotting his fingers into his hair and sweeping the inside of Yunho’s mouth with his tongue, and Yunho is still the best thing he’s ever tasted. Maybe always will be. One of Yunho’s hands stays at his hip — probably to keep him steady though the wall is doing a pretty good job right now — but the other runs up his side and over his chest. Jaejoong shivers and sucks on Yunho’s tongue as fingers brush over his ribs then gently tweak one of his nipples. He tugs on Yunho’s hair. Slides a hand down his back just to feel the skin and muscle there. Remembers the way Yunho’s body moved during dance practice and traces his spine. Yunho shudders a little and Jaejoong pulls his mouth away from Yunho’s to start on his neck, sucking at that soft spot that’s still there just below his jaw.

Yunho makes a sound halfway between a grunt and a moan and the hand on Jaejoong’s hip steals down to grab his ass, hard. Jaejoong slides his mouth down Yunho’s neck. Bites his shoulder and Yunho bucks against him, bringing them together. Jaejoong gasps and his head hits the wall behind him. His hands come up to grip Yunho’s shoulders hard, using him for balance as he tries to lift a leg—

And the goddamn brace won’t let him bend his knee. He shifts, trying to put his weight on it so he can get his other leg up around Yunho’s waist, but it hurts too much. Feels too unstable. He wobbles and Yunho catches him.

“Hey,” he says. “Stop that. What are you doing? You’ll hurt yourself.”

“This — but — _shit.”_ Jaejoong drops his head back agains the wall again and screws his eyes shut. “Shit, how — we can’t — I can’t — _fuck_.”

“There are other things we can do,” Yunho says.

“I don’t want — I mean, that’s not —” That’s not the point. That is so not the point. Jaejoong opens his eyes and looks fixedly up at the ceiling. And he was annoyed when he fell and had to be taken to the hospital and scared when they told him even with surgery it would take months to heal and kind of privately terrified when he decided to go with the surgery anyway, but this… When they said it would take months all he could think about was how long that was and how behind he would be on things like choreo and how many appearances he might have to miss and how hard it was going to make doing his job. He never once considered how it might affect his everyday life. Never really realized how limiting it was going to be. How hard.

“Shit,” he says again, blinking hard, and, god, is he actually going to crynow? “Shit, I can’t—”

“It’s okay,” Yunho says, tries to stroke his hair, but Jaejoong shakes his hand away.

“No,” he says, and he hates how whiny he sounds. How pathetic. But he wanted this, wanted this one thing, at least, and now his body won’t cooperate and he can’t actually think of a position that would make it possible, not unless he turns around and that’s a thought he can’t even handle right now, and, god, can’t anything go right today? “No, it’s not. I can’t — I don’t — I want — augh, I can’t dance, I can’t perform, and now I can’t even — this wasn’t supposed to keep me from you, too. God, I —”

“Hey,” says Yunho gently, winding both arms around him and pulling him in. Holding him close. “Hey. Shh. I know. I know. I’m sorry. This must be really frustrating.”

Jaejoong nods. Screws his eyes up and buries his face in Yunho’s shoulder. Holds on tight. Concentrates on breathing.

“I have to keep coming to events,” he says after a moment, when he trusts himself to speak again. “I know I can’t perform, but —”

“Jae, you don’t have to,” Yunho says. “I don’t care what SM says, I want you better. I won’t let them push you.”

Jaejoong shakes his head. “I want to come,” he says. “As much as I can, I want to still be there. I don’t — I want to be with you guys. Be there for you. And,” he hesitates. “And I still want the fans to be able to see me.” He tries to say it like it doesn’t matter. Like the fans forgetting about him isn’t something he’s actually scared of, but he still sometimes feels like they only just started to like him and he still has no idea what changed to make it that way and if he suddenly disappears, even if it is for an injury, what if that undoes everything?

Yunho squeezes him a little tighter. “Okay,” he says. “You’re definitely not dancing until the doctors say you can, but okay. I get that. Honestly, it would feel wrong without you there, I think. We’re not TVXQ without you.”

“Promise?” Jaejoong says _(and even he’s not sure which he means. How he means that)_.

“Promise,” Yunho says, kissing his hair by his ear.

Jaejoong takes a deep breath. “God, this is going to be hard.”

“I know,” says Yunho. “I’ll help. We’ll all help. Maybe Junsu will actually learn how to use the stove for a change.”

Jaejoong snorts, stands up a little and wipes the water from his face. “I doubt it.”

Yunho laughs and pushes him back against the wall again. “Yeah, well, I can dream, can’t I? Even I don’t set the kitchen on fire anymore.” He starts to move down Jaejoong’s body again, mouthing over his nipples and then down his ribs to his stomach. Jaejoong licks his lips.

“You don’t have to— I still can’t bend this leg,” he says. Because it seems unfair. Unfair to let Yunho just give this much when he has so little to offer in return.

“That’s okay,” says Yunho, dropping to his knees and running a hand over one of Jaejoong’s thighs. “I don’t mind.” And then he takes Jaejoong into his mouth and Jaejoong just lets his head fall back against the wall again. Closes his eyes and lets Yunho take him apart. Tries to forget about everything except the heat of that mouth and Yunho’s hands on his thighs, his ass, his stomach.

He doesn’t say anything. Not until Yunho starts to try to work a finger in between his cheeks.

“Don’t,” he says. Lets go of Yunho’s hair to push the hand away. “I’d probably just fall over.” It’s not the real reason, but it’s one Yunho will accept without question, and he doesn’t know how to explain what he’s feeling. How to tell Yunho that even if those fingers would feel good, he doesn’t want that if he can’t have Yunho inside him for real.

Yunho lets his hand fall away, tangles his fingers with Jaejoong’s. Hums around him. And Jaejoong gasps and smacks his head against the wall and clings to Yunho’s fingers and doesn’t let go. Not when Yunho grips the back of his thigh and quickens the slide of his mouth. Not when he hollows his cheeks as the pressure builds and builds. Not when he comes, arching and twisting against the wall of the shower and Yunho’s mouth stays on him, swallowing down everything. Definitely not as Yunho stands back up again, pausing here and there to mouth various parts of his body almost lazily.

He can almost see straight again by the time Yunho makes it back up. Is definitely with it enough to kiss him back, a little messy but still there. Still participating. And he thinks maybe Yunho is a little surprised when Jaejoong finally tugs his hand away to reach out for him. When he runs his palm over Yunho’s chest and the muscles in his abdomen. Thinks maybe Yunho didn’t quite expect him to reciprocate, or maybe just not yet, but it’s Yunho and Jaejoong loves him and no matter what else is going on, this is still the same. Still something he wants.

Yunho’s erection is hot and heavy in his hand, and when Jaejoong starts to stroke, sliding his hand and twisting his wrist the way he knows Yunho likes, Yunho bites his lip. Whimpers through his nose. Leans hard against the shower wall, arms on either side of Jaejoong, to keep himself upright. Jaejoong only has the one hand, has to keep his other hand clamped around the bar for towels or something attached to the wall, so he can’t touch Yunho anywhere else. Can’t run his fingers over smooth skin or twist them into wet hair the way he wants to. But he pumps a little faster, a little rougher. Watches the way Yunho’s face screws up, the way the muscles in his neck start to stand out. The way his whole body tenses up, straining, as he comes, like he’s trying to fly in a hundred different directions at once.

Staring at him like that — all tense and then suddenly so, so loose, his eyes hazy but still snapping to focus on Jaejoong’s face as soon as they open — Jaejoong thinks Yunho is the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen.

Yunho leans forward to kiss him, a sloppy clashing, all lips and teeth and tongues, then rests his forehead against Jaejoong’s, careful to lean only on the wall and breathing hard.

“Love you,” he says quietly, just loud enough for Jaejoong to hear him over the pounding of the water.

He brings a hand up, runs it through Yunho hair. Grips his shoulder. He means to say ‘love you, too.’ Instead what comes out is, “I can do this, right?”

Yunho chuckles, still quiet, still doesn’t quite have his breath back. “You’re kidding, right? Stubbornest person I know, remember? You went from tone-deaf to lead singer material all on your own by sheer force of will. You’ll be fine.” He snorts, stands up again. Wraps his arms around Jaejoong and pulls him up with him. Rubs his nose in Jaejoong’s hairline. “Fine,” he says again. “Ha! Who am _I_ kidding? You’ll be a terror. I bet you anything by the end of the second week, you have all the managers running scared.”

Jaejoong huffs at him. Tucks his head against Yunho’s shoulder. “I’m not taking that bet,” he says, leaning in, pushing close. Yunho smiles against his ear. Hugs him tight. Jaejoong closes his eyes. Breathes. Yunho is right. He can do this. Everything will be fine.


End file.
